Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Overall, If i had never done the preliminary task i feel our opening sequence would not have been as good, because i feel that the preliminary task gave me the confidence and knowledge of how to use the camera and tripod and iMovie HD. Both tasks have been very interesting and has helped me to learn about the filming making process.

 

The preliminary task was for us to create a short continuity sequence that had a conversation, Match on action, the 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. We had to story board our this and then film and edit it this gives us the chance to get used to the equipment.

For the main task, we had to make the opening of a film it had to include the titles, music and introducing characters. The main task was longer than our preliminary task and it took us much longer to create because we had to story board, film and edit more content than the preliminary task.

As a group we all had so many ideas and we wanted to include them all, but we found that we were over complicating things so we tried to may it more simple and focus on the shot types and angles and editing more than the storyline.

From filming the preliminary task to the opening of our film i felt confident in using the camera and tripod and putting it in the right place to get the best shot, like lowering the tripod and tilting it so the shot is at a different angle. I feel when doing the opening sequence it was easier because i knew more on the camera filming side, but when it came to the iMac's and editing i felt i learnt more when doing the opening sequence because we used more programmes like garageband and iTunes because it was longer and needed more editing than the preliminary task.

 

So, all in all i feel that using the iMac computers to edit our film helped make it look very scary because of the programmes and features it has. But it did take some time to figure out how everything works but once i got use to it, it became very easy to use. The hardest programme i found to use was Garageband it took us as a group not very long to put the music together but importing it into the movie was what we found hard but after a while we figured it out and it made our film that much better.

Question 6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Garage band to create the music for our movie.

We used iTunes to save the music we had made in garageband so we could then import it into our movie. We also used iTunes to save a police siren and then import it from iTunes into imovie HD as our non-diegetic sound.

We Also used iMovie HD to create the whole movie. It helped us create special effects, non-diegetic sounds of a cold wind and tension building music.

And we have been using Blogger as a way of keeping a record of everything we have done in the whole course of making our film opening.

Each of the programmes we have used except iTunes, i have never used before so it took some time to get used to how they work but once i got to grips with it all it became very easy and very useful.

Question 5) How did you attract/address your auidence?

This first still is of the very first shot in our opening sequence, it shows the audience where it is set and gives the audience slight clues as to what is going to happen later on in the film. Many horror films do this at the start of a movie to show the audience the location and if the location is deserted it shows conventions of a horror film. We put no music on this first bit as we did not feel it needed any because we were trying to create the effect that it was a normal day in a not so normal place. We used this to attract our target audience because it all seems regular in the very beginning until you watch more, like the film ‘The Uninvited’ where the beginning is all normal and about a girl who has overcome her mental problems and is finally out of the hospital and is mentally stable enough to go home but this changes as you watch more of the film which is similar to ours.

This next still is of Katherine who has escaped from the physiatric hospital and is shown to be possessed by something paranormal. We have used special effects to make her eye red to show she is possessed which is a common convention with horror genre films. We added music on this shot to build the suspense of what would happen next now that the audience know she is not normal. We used this to attract our target audience because we found that in many horror films that deal with paranormal features the possessed people have minor differences to normal people to show they is something not quite right about them compared with regular people that they are round, for example in ‘The Exorcist’ where the girl has white eyes.

The final still is of Katherine starting her killing spree with her first victim the nurse who looked after her in the physiatric ward. The horror conventions we used here was the setting, it is set in the woods, and because we found out that in most horror films a death or brutal murder takes place here or in an isolated area. We added non-diegetic sounds of a cold wind and music that we composed ourselves using garageband with string instruments and percussions because these types of instruments are commonly used in horrors and it builds up the tension well, we used this to attract our target audience as it is all common conventions of horror films, which is what people like to see when they are watching a horror film.



Question 4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is Kerrie. Kerrie is our target audience. Kerrie is a typical teenager and she is working hard towards her education and in her free time she likes to hang out with her friends and go to the cinema and shopping, Some of Kerrie’s favourite shops are New Look, H&M and Topshop as she is very into the latest fashion.

Kerrie is also into Pop and hip hop music some of her favourite bands would be JLS and The Wanted.

 Her favourite T.V programmes are Supernatural, Misfits and The Inbetweeners. Kerrie likes the comedy that The Inbetweeners and Misfits have but is more intrigued in the super powers side of Misfits and the paranormal side of Supernatural.

Kerrie  likes to watch horror movies because it gives her a thrill and sense of fear which she finds exciting, so she would watch ‘The Escaped’ because it would give her a sense of fear and has paranormal features like in her favourite T.V show Supernatural.

In the opening scenes of ‘The Escaped’ there is violence and a murder and as the film would go on this violence would progress and therefore would be classified as Certificate 15.

Question 3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The horror film genre is very popular in the world of cinema and television. There is a whole channel dedicated to horror films 'Sky movies sci-fi/horror' which show films like 'The Fourth Kind' 'Paranormal Activity' 'Jennifers Body' and 'Drag Me to Hell'.

Film four has a wide variety of films from children's cartoon films to horror. Some of the horror films that it has shown recently are 'Saw' and 'The Ring'. these films all show conventions of horror films with blood, dark setting and murder. horror films like these would have to been shown in the late evening so that children can not view them.

Our local odeon in Guildford does show many of the new releases when it comes to the horror genre it is currently showing 'Paranormal activity 2'. This odeon shows many of the horror films when they come out because they are very popular because people enjoy the adrenalin rush the fear of the film gives them.

There are film festivals all over the world for example in Los Angeles, New york, Cannes and London and many more places. In London there is a film festival called FrightFest which is an annual film festival held in central London over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The primary focus of FrightFest is horror genre. I think my film would be shown here because it is a low budget film that would fit in with this festival very well.

I think if our film was to be shown anywhere it would be shown at a film festival like Frightfest becuase it is a film festival dedicated to the horror genre. I think that a cinema would not show our film because it's to much of a low budget film. It would also not be showed on film four because it is a small film.

Question 2) how does your media product represent particular social groups?

On the left is a picture of Katherine from our film opening 'The Escaped' and on the right is Samara from the film 'The Ring'. both characters are mentally disturbed young women.
both of the characters many similarities and many differences in the way they look, their costumes and the roles in the films.

Some similarities of the two characters in their appearance is that they both have the same style of hair with it in front of their faces as if the two girls are hiding behind it and the evil possessed eyes and devilish facial expression which adds to the scariness and horror conventions that both films have.
Similarities between the two characters are that they have similar costumes and that they are both in white plan straightforward night gowns which adds to the physciatric tendencies of both characters, but with both girls wearing these outside of the mental hospital it is out of place and it seems that both girls are outsiders.
Similarities between the characters and the film roles are that they both have physciatric tendencies and kill people violently.

Some differences between the two characters are that the girl from The Ring is younger than Katherine, and they have different styled and colour hair and Katherine has less realistic special effects because we didn't have the same budget as the Ring, so we did not have as big of a budget as the ring because we are not a big production company where as the people who made the ring have the money to spend on special effects.
differences between the two girls within the role the film is that Katherine is older and therefore acts older in her role.

Question 1) In what ways does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1) The shot of the CCTV sign on the metal fence shows that the place has high 

security, which suggests the people inside the place have been put in there for a reason because they are unstable or dangerous to society. this links to the film titles because the person wanted to escape.

2) The setting of this next shot shows that the girl is in some sort of high security place because you can see big metal framed doors and single small cell like rooms behind her. This location was not used very often in the opening of the film because it does not convey strong conventions of a horror film where as the rest of the film is filmed in a woods which shows more conventions of a horror film.

3) In this shot there is a telephone used as a prop for when the nurse character makes an important phone call. Also there in the background there is a computer and files to show the audience that the person making the phone call is in an office and therefore has authority and responsibility over the person who has escaped.

4) This shot is the escaped girls profile of why she is in the mental hospital it is an extreme close up of the file and the camera starts at the top and then scrolls down and the whole profile so that the audience can see how dangerous this girl really is as it scrolls over the 'status: HIGHLY DANGEROUS' part we created a still frame of it and added in the still frame as a flash as it is was going into the next shot to make the audience more aware of her behaviour and mental state.

5) For the titles we chose to have the titles over the shot of the nurse looking for the escaped girl because it was a long scene so the titles came in half way through to make is seem more interesting and not a long. also the titles faded away as the girl comes out of the trees and is walking across and we timed it so that it seemed that she is pushing the titles away.

6) This is an edited still frame of the girl who has escaped form the mental hospital, this still frame has been edited into the film to show the audience that she is possessed, evil and highly dangerous. This is edited into our film with a fast flash shot, so the audience see her looking normal then a sudden change then normal again this shows to the viewers that she is mental and also shows a convention of a horror film.

7) From this shot the genre of the film is shown clearly by the location, because it is in a woods and the woods is deserted this shows the genre because in a typical horror movie they are set in places of abandonment or isolation. Also the camerawork shows the genre of the film because in this shot is an 'over the shoulder shot' which shows the audience the girl about to sneak up behind the nurse and looking menacing and dangerous and with the nurse in front not seeing her or knowing she is there, the audience can see that something bad is going to happen because the nurse is in a vulnerable and dangerous situation which links to the genre of the film because it has the audience feeling fearful for the nurse.

8) In this shot the nurse is being strangled by the girl, this introduces to the audience more about the type of character the girl is because she is shown here killing someone so it also gives the audience an insight as to why she was in the mental hospital.

9) In this shot the special effects we added were a police siren which the girl hears and then turns and runs away. We added this is in because the police were looking for her because she had escaped from the hospital and so the film has a plot to carry on further with.

The Storyboard.

This is the storyboard to the opening of our film. :)

The costumes and props that we used.

For the nurses costume we had a black skirt and a white shirt and cardigan to show the nurse in formal work wear and that she is of higher status than Katherine.

Katherine’s costume was a long white Victorian night gown. This shows the audience that she is a patient in the mental hospital and that she is of a lower status than the nurse.

The props that we used when filming the opening of the movie was a CCTV sign which was on the fence at the beginning, Katherine’s profile of why she was in the mental hospital and an office telephone for the important phone call to alert people of the danger that Katherine has escaped.

Locations, Locations, Locations...

For the opening shot to our film we chose to film our school gates for the outside of the mental hospital because they are big metal gates with a CCTV sign on them which shows the place is very secure. We also filmed part of the opening inside the sixth form block for the door of the mental hospital which the girl escapes from.

But the most of the film was set in the woods near school at merrow golf course. We used the woods for the most of the filming because we had found out from the research that we carried out that woods are a very common setting for horror movies.

The opening of the film.

For our media project we have to create film and edit a 2 minute opening of a film. As a group we chose to do a horror film and after much deliberation we finally decided to call it ‘The Escaped’.

Our film is about a teenage girl who has been put into a mental hospital because she is mentally disturbed and possessed. The girl escapes from the mental hospital and is so angry at the people that made her go in there and at the people in there that she goes on a killing spree. In the opening to this film you see the girl escaping from the mental hospital and running away into the woods and who is then followed by the nurse who is trying to get her calmly and safely back to the hospital.

Here we have a picture of the nurse and the mental girl inside the cell in the hospital.

Comparison of two horror films.

The first horror film is ‘An American werewolf in London’ this was directed by john Landis. The film is about two American men that take a trip to the English countryside. They are travelling along fine at first and then they get lost at night on a dark moore. Then all of a sudden they are subject to a werewolf attack where one of the men dies and the other one turns into a werewolf. This opening sequence showed many of the conventions of a horror movie with the darkness when they were lost on the moore’s and them being the only people on the moore’s and the blood and the werewolf. There are many symbolic conventions in this film for example when the two men are walking along the moore’s you can see the full moon giving the presence of the werewolf.

‘28 Days later’ is the second horror film, this was directed by Danny Boyle. This film shows many conventions of being of the horror genre but in a different way as to ‘An American Werewolf in London’ because in this film it starts in a dim lit laboratory with monkeys which had be infected with rage locked up in cages and when they are let out the attack the people violently and this shows horror conventions because it uses a lot of blood.

 

Both two films are horror films but they convey the conventions in different ways however both films are very effective.

Introducing....

Throughout this media course whenever i have had to do any kind of group work i have always worked in the sam groups with the same people and i think it would be nice if you knew who they were.

So, first we have Chloe Alldis, she has a very bright and funny personality, she always keeps me entertained throughout any task we do. she is a very good person to work with in a group because she comes up with some very interesting ideas for the group and is always willing to act in the sequences we film because i say i

don't want to.

Also, we have Lizzie Hill, who is great to work with in a group because she is always very focused and doesn't mind acting in the sequences that we film. She is also very good at getting the right camera shot and it in the right position for filming.

 

So all in all they are very good people to work with because they both take one for the team and act in the sequences :)

 

Preliminary Task :)

For the Preliminary task we were asked to make a short sequence which had to include the 180 degree rule, a shot reverse shot and a match on action shot. We prepared for this task by watching examples og how to do each of the shots correctly, then we went out and practised the shots so we could get to grips with how they are meant to be filmed. We also drew up a story board fo each shot, this helped us to plan what type of camera shot to use and how it would look most effective.

When in came to the filming, my role within the group was to film the whole thing. which meant getting the camera in just the right angle for each shot type so that nothing that wasnt supposed to be in it was. i also had to have a steady hand so that it wasnt shaking.

We used many types of shots when making our sequence including close ups because this gave the audience more insight into the characters because they can see there facial expression clearer.
we also used a long shot of Chloe as she walked through the door to sit down so that the audience could see the Mise en scene around her.
Another type of shot we used was the 180 degree rule which makes sure, during dialogue that people don't switch sides and doesn't confuse the audience.
Shot reverse shot we used to show that a character is looking at something.
Match on action we used and it is where  the beginning of an action shot is shown then the end for example in ours when chloe walked through the door we saw it from behind, her pushing the door open then we cut to her infront of the door walking through it.

When framing we made sure that no one unnecessary was in the shot making silly faces or waving to the camera because that ruins the sqeuence so we made sure that when we filmed it we picked a place that was fairly quite with not that many people that would be in the background.
we positioned Chloe and Lizzie according to the camera shot for example in the shot reverse shot we made sure that it was only one of their faces on camera at a time otherwise the shot wouldnt have worked right.

After filming the sequence we had to edit it, i was very please with the final result because it flows nicely from shot to shot and we also added titles and credits for the end and we chose the font colour, style and transition which would look the best with what our task was about.
I think personally our group did well with the sequence because we had to re film because the footage we shot had gone worng on the tape so we had to go and re film it quickly, so i think we could have improved it by spending more time on it and each shot because it was a bit rushed. I think we could have made the match on action slightly better just to make it clearer to people what kind of shot it actually is. Chloe and Lizzie when they were acting were in the right position for the camera and it worked well. the shot types we used for the shot reverse shot were definately appropriate for the dialogue because it was just a conversation between two people about there friend.
I think as a group we worked very well together, we each had our own jobs to for fill for that certain task and everyone performed it to the best of there ability, but next time we create something we should change jobs so we can try everything out.
I Feel confident using the camera, i know how to get a good shot from the tripod, how to use the zoom to create an effective shot. whereas when it comes to using the imovie i don't feel as confident using it, but personally i think i need to practise more to get to grips with everything.

:)

Warner Bros.

Warner Brothers.

http://www.warnerbros.com/main/homepage.html

On the Warner bros homepage you find lists and lists of movies which they have produced. Like The Dark knight.

On the website about the dark knight it gives you a brief outline of what the movie is about, the cast, who was in the film and it also had downloadable items, then above all this is a trailer of the film. There is also a picture from the film and 2 more videos which give you more of an insight as to what the film is about.
http://www2.warnerbros.com/wbsf/#/home/

Here is a link to a webpage which tells you more about the Warner Bros Studios, it also shows you what sort of facilities it has

1. Sound Stages
2.Exterior Sets
3.Post production
4.Costume
5.Construction
this is just a couple of things, there is LOADS more. J

Comparing Conventions of a thriller

I’m going to be comparing two films by Christopher Nolan, Called ‘insomnia’ and ‘memento’. In the opening titles of ‘insomnia’ and ‘memento’ there are many conventions of a thriller used in both films, both in many different ways.

Insomnia. In this opening sequence the title appears on the screen in a blurry and fuzzy way giving the audience the feel of tiredness. Also the music which was used in the opening of Insomnia is quite loud and it is also string instruments, which gives the audience an uneasy feel and makes them slightly scared of what is to come, this also gives the audience that tired effect and like they were going into a dream or back in time. Insomnia is set in a typical setting of a thriller, which is the polar region this creates discomfort for the audience and makes them feel slightly uneasy. In insomnia The close up of the blood dripping into this is very effective in a thriller because it creates suspense and makes you feel slightly fearful it also makes you as the viewer wonder and so draws them in.

Memento. In this opening sequence the titles are still in contrast to Insomnia and they keep to the pace of the music which builds the tension and suspense for the audience because it slows down, although it is string music like in Insomnia. Memento is set a complete contrast to insomnia because it is a simple plain room which is also a typical place to set a thriller. In both films they have non diagetic sound in the opening from the string instruments. In Memento there is a close up of a man shaking a Polaroid picture this draws the audience in and makes them want to find out why it is important and what happens.

These two films are very similar for their conventions of a thriller, this shows us that even with two different story lines they are of the same genre and so are going to show similar aspects.

The opening to Insomnia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m70eyk6xr3sThe Opening to Memento.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z87iY8rPJF8Christopher Nolan Talks about making Insomnia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGw1VYpDFI4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be7Gw_lhud8&p=BB475637E7A5CB9B&playnext=1&index=13

Christopher Nolan Talks about making Memento.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIFxNq_oMGY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYbNFxtG8H4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYO-zUdUoTE&feature=related